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Vandal, caught on tape, scrawls swastikas and graffiti on Maryland synagogue

Following the incident, neighbors taped a painted message on the door of the synagogue that reads: “You R Loved.”

Surveillance footage of a man suspected of spray-painting swastikas and bigoted slogans on the side of Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville, Md. Credit: Montgomery County Police Department.
Surveillance footage of a man suspected of spray-painting swastikas and bigoted slogans on the side of Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville, Md. Credit: Montgomery County Police Department.

Police in Montgomery County, Md., are looking for a man who was caught on surveillance footage last Saturday spray-painting the side of a synagogue with swastikas and hateful epithets.

The man pulled into the parking lot of Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville, Md., around 1:30 a.m. on March 28, got out of his car, and spray-painted swastikas and bigoted slogans on the side of the building, according to police.

The rabbi of the synagogue, Marc Israel, told Montgomery County Media, “It’s horrifying, the level of hate that exists.”

Although the synagogue is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, some members noticed it after walking by it, said the rabbi.

Following the vandalism, neighbors taped a painted message on the synagogue door that reads: “You R Loved.”

Anyone with information about the vandalism should contact the 1st District Investigative Section of the Montgomery County Police Department at 240-773-6089 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-8477.

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